Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler (2008)

The Wrestler is a Darren Aronofsky movie, one of the fascinating directors with movies like Requiem for a Dream (2000), Pi (1998) and Black Swan (2010).

The Wrestler might be thought as similar to Black Swan. In both movies, you find yourself in the world of the main characters who work as performers, one is a wrestler and the other is a ballet dancer (the lowest and highest arts as some might consider). Generally, Aronofsky movies are about the destructive nature of obsession and extreme effects of those obsessions. He talks about the perversion, the loss of control...If you've seen some of his movies, you might know that he likes to follow the character from the behind with a handheld camera (I love it! it's like you're in the scene). It is still the case in The Wrestler too.During the movie, we witness to the life of a wrestler, what he does in his daily life, (as in Black Swan): daily trainings, regular visits to hairdressers and tanning salons...Mickey Rourke is performing the leading character in the film, Randy the Ram, a life-time wrestler who had the peak of his fame 20 years ago, still wrestling, now to make a living, because it is the only thing that he can do best! He is trying to entertain the crowds and seem gigantic and unbeatable to his funs, as his job requiresHowever, Aronofsky points his camera to the inner side of this character and takes off his 'tough-guy' mask. Under his huge physique, we see a lonely, old boy living isolated from others.. wife is gone.. daughter hates him.. no friends around.. noone really touches him.. Maybe he didn't notice it when he was the hero of the wrestling rings 20 years ago. Maybe he didn't notice that it happened this way. But however hard it is, he questions it, even attempts to change it...Apart from the story of the movie, what was really touching for me was the performance of Mickey Rourke. It was truly fascinating !!! sublime !! perfect person for the role!
To my idea, without Mickey Rourke in the movie, the movie might be an ordinary wrestling movie. But Rourke had already what Aronofsky was looking for. If you read about his life story, you might see that he had a life very similar to 'Randy the Ram' character in the movie. He lost his wife, his fame; lived lonely for years; did wrestling for a while...

about Mickey Rourke: I've first seen Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2 (i know, it's too late :)), but I can say he is in the right role here, as in Iron Man 2. He is the charismatic, tough guy throughout his wrestling costume and the sentimental, old, lonely guy in his personal life.The Wrestler is a very serious, sentimental, sad movie, it's not a secret... It's obvious from its first scene where the main character (Mickey Rourke) sits alone in the dressing room after his match.And it is also my favorite Aronofsky so far !